This is pretty much a direct continuation of the events in the previous chapter. I split it in two because it was getting too long to fit in a single chapter. Now some of you have commented that their relationship (as I wrote it) was progressing a little too quickly over such a short period of time.

I admit that I hadn't really thought about this as I more was caught up in developing their relationship. As I see it, their feelings for each other are very strong and deep, and they're also very comfortable around one another. I was only really able (in good conscience) to have them living together because Orihime is such an innocent girl and Ulquiorra would never do anything that she wouldn't want.

And as always, I'd like to say thanks to Moonlight's Shadow Warrior, Morning Bleach, Anne the Fire, Ice Prince Hitsugaya, Cityno2, bk00, and VeelaSophia for their reviews. Thank you all so much, you guys are really amazing!

Edit (11/15/11): After receiving some feedback about this chapter in particular, I decided that there were a few things that I could do better. In this case, it was expanding certain scenes. Special thanks to LovelyMasoka and AkuRokuTurkTrainee.


BLEACH
The Human Condition

Chapter 9:
"Domestic Life, Pt 2"

Orihime leaned back against Ulquiorra, snaking an arm around his shoulder for support as she used her free hand to hold the book up for him to see. It was only at this point that she suddenly noticed the look of unease in his expression. Realization swiftly dawned on her...

She blushed darkly as she put the facts together. After her shower, she hadn't felt the need to bother wearing a bra under her shirt. She was so used to living on her own that she had become somewhat uninhibited when she was in the apartment. Sure, Tatsuki would sometimes tease her about this, saying that she needed to do a better job "controlling" her bust. Orihime felt embarrassed now, her cheeks burning as she pulled back from Ulquiorra.

"Sorry, Ulquiorra, if I made you uncomfortable... I, I guess that I'm still getting used to having company... Er, especially to having a guy around me." She offered nervously, blushing even more as she continued. "I'm really not that kind of girl, you have to believe me! ...It's just, well, my chest has always made things kind of awkward for me... Like finding decent clothes that could still fit me."

Ulquiorra just shook his head. "You really do worry too much..." He began, mild amusement seeping into his deep voice. "After all, that Shinigami woman that you're friends with doesn't seem all that worried about how she comes across to those around her."

"You mean you were looking at Rankigu's chest?" She asked with the sort of wide-eyed expression you might expect from a child who'd just been told that Santa Claus wasn't real.

A hint of pink briefly graces his pale cheeks. "With her size and her utter lack of concern, it would be considerably difficult not to end up looking at them at some point." Ulquiorra replied with a note of indignation in his tone. "Getting back to the point, it's you that I'm interested in... I've never felt uncomfortable around you, so you have nothing to apologize for."

Orihime seemed to relaxed after hearing this. "Thank you, Ulquiorra... for excepting me." She began, reaching down to take his hands in hers. "I think I've always had something that's made me feel out place with the people around me... My family situation, then being bigger than other girls... I always felt different, as if I wasn't like them. Maybe that's why it didn't feel like much of a surprise for me when I started seeing ghosts and things."

Ulquiorra looked down at her, noting her smile. "You're a much stronger and braver person than you give yourself credit for." He remarked. "You more than proved that when you slapped me." He added, giving her a faint smile as he touched his cheek.

"Oh yeah, er, sorry about that." Orihime offered with a smile. "But things were different between us when I did that to you." The ginger-haired girl explained. "And things have changed a lot between the two of us since then." She explained, still smiling. "No matter what happens, I'm glad that I was able to meet you... And I'll never regret the choices I've made."

He met her gaze for a moment, and nodded and he glanced away. "I'll never really understand why I was chosen to be your guardian when we were holding you captive in Las Noches..." He mused in a thoughtful tone. "Before then, I never felt the desire or motivation to become close to anyone... But then, you came along." He looked directly into her gray eyes as he spoke. "You were the first person that I ever wanted to understand... And the only one who ever wanted to understand me."

Orihime's blush darkened. She smiled and snuggled up against him. "To hear you saying something like that... It makes me really happy." The redhead remarked as she leaned into him.

Ulquiorra remained silent as she nuzzled against him with a sigh. She was such an open and honest person that she didn't think anything of making such a heartfelt statement. Once again, he found himself thinking about just how different this 'new' life of his was, as well as what it would be like having someone that he could share this experience with.

...o.o.o...

It was laundry day and Orihime was struggling to pick up her clothing bin. The orange-haired girl knelt down and snaked her arms most of the way around the large container and stood up, her view partially as she started to make her way to the door.

Suddenly, she felt the weight of the load lighten considerably. She peek around the container to see Ulquiorra gripping the bin. Orihime smiled warmly and yielded the laundry bin. The pale-skinned man effortless took hold of the container and gave her a small nod, then cast a glance towards the towards the front door of the apartment. The redhead nodded in understanding and lead the two of them out through the door and into the walkway.

As the two walked, Orihime looked to Ulquiorra. He had a focused expression on his face as he carried the laundry bin in his arms. She observed that his arms were long enough that he could link his hands together. She sighed, thinking about how nice it probably was to be tall. Being barely over 5 feet tall while having her sort of figure had always been something of a mixed blessing.

She looked over at Ulquiorra again, he was wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans. She sighed, thinking about when she'd gotten dressed that morning. She had this nice vest that she wanted to wear over her shirt... But when she'd put it on, she discovered that since she'd bought it, she'd already outgrown it- well, a certain part of her had, anyway! She huffed slightly, thinking about how easy guys had it when it came to picking out clothes...

Ulquiorra had been discreetly observing the young woman beside him as they reached the elevator door on their level. Orihime pressed one of the buttons and waited for it to arrive. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts that stopped above her knees and a colorful t-shirt with the motto 'It's always a party in my kitchen!' written on the back in bright red.

He then noticed that she had braided her long hair into a ponytail. He smiled slightly, thinking to himself that it suited her. The shiny metal door slid open and the two of them stepped inside, Orihime pressing the button for the first floor. As they descended, Ulquiorra suddenly realized how much less less guarded he'd become, after being around her for a while.

The doors opened and they walked across the parking lot to the on-grounds laundry mat. Ulquiorra leaned against the wall as Orihime began sorting the clothes and putting them into the large metal washing machines- the whites in one, and the colors in an another. She dug into her pocked and took out some coins, then fed them into the washers and started them up.

Ulquiorra promptly picked up the empty bin and the two of them left, walking across the parking lot and back to the elevator. They ascended back up to the second level in a comfortable silence. The door soon opened and they stepped out. They instantly spotted two people standing near the entrance to Orihime's apartment. Ulquiorra instantly recognized them- it was the Quincy with the glasses and the short dark-haired girl he's seen in photos with Orihime...

Ishida looked slightly nervous at the moment while Tatsuki had a look of obvious hostility on her face. The short dark-haired girl stepped forward and glared at Ulquiorra for a moment. "I have to say, from looking at you..." She began. "You sure don't look like an evil monster."

"So I've been told." Ulquiorra replied in a neutral tone.

Ishida shook his head and held up a square-shaped package. "We, uh, wanted to see how you guys were doing..." He explained awkwardly. "And... Oh yeah, I brought cake."

...o.o.o...

Tatsuki shook her head in frustration as they sat at the table. "Frankly, I don't see how a kidnapping could lead to this kind of situation." She commented as she folded her arms.

"Tatsuki, it's not that simple..." Orihime began. "I mean, it did start out like that... But along the way, something changed... between us." The girl blushed as she spoke the last part. "In the end, everything worked out... So, there's really nothing to get so upset about."

The dark-haired tomboy was aghast at her long-time friend's words. "I can't believe what I'm hearing from you..." She countered in frustration. "I'm honestly not sure what's worse- what you're saying or the fact that you actually seem to believe it!"

Ishida shook his head at her visible frustration. "I really don't think it's necessary for you to get so upset over this, Arisawa-san." He offered her.

Tatsuki glared at him. "Hey, now don't you get started too!" She snapped. "Orihime and I have been best friends since we were kids! I protected her from those asshole kids when she was alone!" She explained indignantly to him. "So I think I have a right to be upset over this!" She exclaimed, before turning back to face her friend. "Honestly Orihime, I'm really worried about you right now... You can be so naïve at times..." She continued.

"That's enough..." Ulquiorra began, looking directly at Tatsuki. "As he friend, you should be able to see that your comments are upsetting Orihime." He added in an even tone. "You are free to say whatever you like about me, but you're just upsetting her."

Tatsuki's face turned red with anger at his remark. "Upsetting her? And just who the hell are you to talk to me about that?" She exclaimed. "You may have been able to change your appearance, but you're still a monster! I know that your kind feed on humans, on us!"

"I've never attempted to deny what I am..." Ulquiorra replied calmly. "Perhaps, by your logic, I might be a monster... But consider that humans feed on livestock the same way." He offered the dark-haired girl in an even tone. "It's also been my experience that humans are more than willing to kill their own kind, often with little to no reason or merit..."

Ishida adjusted his glasses and Tatsuki paled slightly at the statement. "I cannot change what I am, no more than I can change the nature of the relationship between myself and the woman..." He offered her as he continued. "For the first time in my existence... I'm able make my own choices, and I've chosen to stay with Orihime... So that no harm might befall her, and because it is what I want."

An unusual expression suddenly graced Tatsuki's features for a moment. She quickly turn to Orihime, noting that she was blushing, and smiled strangely at her. "Orihime... I- I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings with the things I said..." She began, looking down as she spoke. "It seems that you really aren't the same helpless little Hime-chan from when we were kids..."

She started to get to her feet. "Er, maybe I should leave for now... I don't want to stick around, in case I end up doing something that I'll regret later." She explained. "After all, you're not a kid any more, and you certainly don't need a rowdy girl like me second-guessing everything you do." Tatsuki finished as she started to turn and leave.

Orihime's lower lip trembled. "N-no, Tatsuki, don't!" She bolted to her feet and rushed over to the smaller girl and threw her arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace. "...Please don't go, Tatsuki!" She began as she held onto her dark-haired friend. "I need you in my life, now more then ever... Please, you're my best friend and I love you..."

The two dark-haired men watched silently as the redhead held the other girl in a tight embrace, as if she was afraid she might suddenly vanish if she let go. Tatsuki quickly rubbed her eyes, then turned around to face Orihime. "Don't worry..." She began gently. "I was just having one of my moments... I'm not going to flake out on you after all this time." She added in a reassuring tone and she hugged her.

After a moment, Tatsuki pulled back and turned to glare at Ulquiorra. "As for you... Things may have changed between you and Orihime." She began intently. "But it doesn't change the facts about what you did, or the fact that I don't trust you..." She paused.

"And if I find out that you've done anything to hurt her..." Tatsuki intoned. "Arrancar or not, I will find you and kick your ass!" She threatened. "And if you think that's some idle threat... Then go talk to Ichigo, because I will throw you just like I did to him!"

Ishida then looked to Ulquiorra, noting his neutral expression as he simply nodded in response to the dark-haired girl's threat of physical harm. "Well then," He began. "How about we try out this cake that I picked up on our way here?"

...o.o.o...

Orihime and Ulquiorra returned with the loads of clean clothes. As soon as they set them down, the orange-haired girl plopped down onto the couch and let out a sigh. She groaned and mumbled, something about not wanting the have to fold the clothes...

Ulquiorra sat down beside her and she immediately slid against him, resting herself on his frame and let out a long sigh. Wordlessly, the girl shifted her position and curled up on the couch with her head resting comfortably in his lap. "...I'm sorry about what Tatsuki said to you earlier." She began in a tired-sounding voice. "...She's always been like that, since we were kids."

The dark-haired Arrancar shook his head. "There's nothing to apologize for... She has every right to be suspicious of me considering everything that I've done to you and your friends."

Orihime grumbled faintly in response. "Still... You're important to me and I really want my friends to be able to accept you one day." She replied with half lidded eyes.

He smiled to himself and brushed his hand through her long hair. "Don't worry about it, I already knew she was your friend, I could tell from the pictures of the two of you together..." Ulquiorra began in a soft tone as he looked down at her. "What I didn't realize was what an important role she played, that she had defended you when you were on your own."

Orihime turned her head and looked up at him. "Tatsuki is a good person... I've known her for a long time and I care about her." She began with a smile. "She seems really tough and harsh on the outside, but deep down, she's a very kind person..." The redhead explained. "She really went out of her way to stand up for me when we were younger."

The former Espada smiled. "Yes, but then that doesn't necessarily make me a good person, does it?"

Orihime shifted onto her back to meet his gaze directly. She reached up and placed her hand on the back of his head and smiled at him. "Come closer..." She whispered.

He nodded, giving her a small smile, and hunkered down closer towards her. Orihime propped herself up with her free hand and sat up. She let out a small sigh as their lips touched, her eyes closing as he returned the gesture and deepened their kiss...

(- End of Part 9 -)


Well, I finally got some of the friends back into the story. A fairly level-headed character like Ishida isn't too difficult to write for. Though I'm not totally sure if I got Tatsuki right in this chapter... But I'm far from done with her character, so you can expect to see her in the story again soon enough.

I've still got several more story points to cover... Such as the Orihime (and the others) going back to school, and what's going to happen with Nell when she goes to Soul Society... And of course, there's the issue of the future of the other Arrancars as well. And that's only a few things! So please continue reading and let me know what you guys thought of this.

On a final note, FF has been acting up a LOT recently. It's been blocking me from editing several of my stories for a while now, which has resulted in me not being able to post new chapters on any sort of regular basis any more... I'll do the best I can.

-Bojack727

Update Note: The bit with the cake actually has a president. In Japan, European style pastries (like cakes and fancy sweets) are much more of an extravagance. While they're usually reserved for special occasions, they're also a nice way of breaking the ice when visiting someone.